


Purging the Darkness

by Buffyworldbuilder



Series: A Death Eater's Redemption [8]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29890713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/Buffyworldbuilder
Summary: This story follows “Finding Home” and should not be read as a standalone as it’s the next installment in my “Death Eater’s Redemption” series. It is set at the end of Harry Potters first year at Hogwarts and BTVS season 6 and Angel season 4. The last story crossed with Angel the series, so Cordelia is in this story. In this installment, I do not focus as much on the Harry Potter storylines but instead focus on how the Scoobies handle their first taste of Hogwarts. In another story, I will tell of Dawn and the Malfoys more.
Series: A Death Eater's Redemption [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875847
Kudos: 3





	Purging the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: I do something that will probably upset die hard HP fans, and it might be controversial. However, this is a story with ghosts and magic, so I think I can get away with it! 😉
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters that were created by J. K. Rowling. Nor do I own any characters or storylines from Buffy or Angel as they are the creation of Joss Whedon.

***** _Hogwarts******_

When Tara laid eyes on the huge castle, she stopped walking and stared up at it in wonder. “This-This is where we’ll be staying?” she asked, looking up at Severus. He made her nervous. His aura was a bit on the dark side, and he never smiled. However, Buffy trusted him, and she trusted Buffy even if she was a teenager again. Tara shuddered at the thought. There wasn’t a worst fate she could imagine that having to live her teenage years over again.

“Yes, this is Hogwarts,” he said.

Willow gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand. “This is going to be great,” she said to Tara.

Tara knew it would be because if she spent another month with Willow on the hellmouth, their relationship wasn’t going to survive. She was starting to scare Tara, and her aura was beginning to change. Tara was already worried that it would be too late for Willow.

However, when she walked across the threshold of Hogwarts, both of them gasped as the purity of the magics filled them.

“Oh, Goddess!” Tara gasped. “I have never felt such pure magic.”

“It’s so strong—it’s everywhere,” Willow said.

Tara felt a surge of hope fill her as they walked in. Then she saw a man floating with his head halfway hanging off and gave a startled screech.

“What is wrong with you? You know that you aren’t supposed to scare the visitors, especially if they are Americans!” Severus said, scowling at the ghost.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to say hello,” Nearly Headless Nick said.

“He’s one of the many ghosts that are here,” Severus said. “He’s one of the nicer ones, actually.”

“Why is your neck like that?” Willow asked, fascinated.

“Because this is how I died,” he said, looking at her like he didn’t understand the question.

“All this magic here, and no one offered to fix your neck?” Willow asked in surprise.

“He’s a ghost,” Severus said.

“Yes, but this is a school with young children,” she pointed out. “Eleven is a bit young to see a partially decapitated man.”

Severus shrugged. “I can’t say that I’ve ever given it any thought,” he said.

“Of course, he wouldn’t. No Slytherin would ever care about a Gryffindor,” Nearly Headless Nick said woefully.

“I care about my goddaughter,” Severus said with a smirk. “She is one of yours.”

“Well, Buffy Malfoy is like Sirius Black—an anomaly in a family of dark witches and wizards,” he said.

“So you think no one that knows dark magic would care to help you?” Willow asked the ghost. 

“Of course not,” the ghost replied with a sniff.

Tara heard her lover mutter in Latin and wave her hand. The ghost’s neck was mended. 

“There. It was easy,” Willow remarked. “There’s so much power in this building I could probably bring him back to life.”

“Do not attempt such foolishness,” Severus said, giving the witch a dark look. He was trying to keep his shock at her display of magics from his countenance. How did she do such a thing?

“I cannot believe it! My neck! It’s healed!” the ghost exclaimed. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“You are welcome,” Willow said, smiling. “I can’t believe no one else did it before now.”

“I have been a ghost here for many, many years,” he said.

A few students who didn’t go home for break were staring up at the newly healed ghost and back at Willow in shock.

“Don’t you have someplace to be?” Severus asked them with a glare.

They quickly moved away.

Suddenly, Newly Healed Nick gasped as his body was filled with a bright white light. Then he smiled. “I guess, it’s time,” he said. “Goodbye, my beloved school.” He looked at Severus. “Take care of my kids.”

Then he blinked away.

“What happened?” Willow asked.

“I believe he passed on,” Severus said in bemusement. “Ghosts linger normally because they have something unfinished or some magics kept them here. His injury must’ve been what kept him on this plane.”

“Wow,” Tara remarked, looking at her lover in surprise. “You helped him find peace, Will.”

Willow smiled. “Cool,” she said. She had spent so much time using her magics to kill monsters that she felt good healing even if it was just a ghost.

“Come,” Severus said. “We must get your friend to Poppy.”

They moved quickly through the castle, gawking at the moving staircases and the suits of armor that waved at them. It was a magical place, and both witches felt lighter by the time they made it to the medical wing.

“Professor Snape,” Poppy said. “How can I help you?”

“Madam Pomprey, these are close friends of Buffy Malfoy. This is Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay. Their friend Cordelia has been infected with a hijacker or something,” he said as he levitated her to a bed.

“It is nice to meet you both,” Poppy said. She looked at the Cordelia and moved her wand up and down.

Tara watched her closely trying to determine what she was doing.

“Oh, dear. I have never seen such a thing,” she said.

“The woman was not a witch, but she is suddenly empowered with some supernatural or magical abilities,” Severus explained. “We rendered her unconscious as she is dangerous.”

“Mmm,” Poppy said.

“She was a seer, though,” Willow added. “She is a conduit for the Powers that Be and receives visions of people who are in danger. Angel and his team would save them, so she is somewhat supernatural.”

“Really? That’s fascinating,” Poppy said.

Severus thought so too and wondered why Buffy never mentioned it.

“Her-her aura isn’t right,” Tara said.

“No, it is not,” Poppy said, looking up at Tara. “I have never seen a case like this. We will have to transfer her to St. Mungo’s as this is too severe for me to treat here.”

“That’s a hospital,” Severus explained to the girls.

“Is it nearby?” Tara asked, feeling anxious.

“It’s in London, dear,” she said.

“We can’t transport her by the floo,” Severus said.

“Why don’t you get the ladies to Albus, and I’ll make the arrangements?” she suggested.

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave her?” Tara asked.

“It will be fine,” Severus said.

“I will take good care of her,” Poppy said. “I will let you say goodbye before she’s transported.”

Severus led the ladies to the headmaster’s office. Both looked at Dumbledore with wide eyes.

“Wow! He’s looks like Merlin the Magician!” Willow exclaimed.

“I was going to say Gandalf from _Lord of the Rings_ ,” Tara said.

“I take both compliments with a thank you,” he said, smiling.

“His eyes twinkle!” Willow said, feeling the man’s immense power.

For Tara, she was startled by the blazing white of his aura—his power was tremendous and very old. There was a hint of red in it—he knew how to handle himself in a fight.

“Who are your new friends?” Albus asked Severus.

“These are friends of Buffy’s from the other world,” he said. “This is Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay. Ladies, this is headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He has many other titles in our community, but they would be meaningless to you.”

“It worked?” he asked, his eyes smiling.

“It did,” Severus said. “Her sister Dawn is now with the family.”

“Please have a seat,” he said, gesturing to two chairs. He offered him a candy dish. “Gumdrop?”

“Sure,” Tara said, smiling at the charming old man. She never had a grandpa, and he seemed like the ideal one.

After they took a gumdrop, Severus gave an impatient sigh.

“Please continue, Severus,” Albus said.

Severus transfigured a cup on Albus’ desk into a chair for himself and sat down before telling the tale of Cordelia and what transpired.

“Hmmm,” he said. “Your friend has a hijacker of some kind. That is very unfortunate. It is very difficult to remove such entities without killing the host.”

“Really?” Willow said, looking upset.

“Difficult but not impossible,” he said. “If the girl is strong in spirit, she might survive the extraction. Do you want what’s inside her preserved or destroyed?”

“It’s evil,” Tara said.

“Destroy it,” Willow said.

“Then it will be a bit easier,” he said.

“What about Willow?” Tara asked. “She’s been spending too much time dabbling in dark magic. It’s tainting her aura.”

“You can see that?” Albus asked. Tara nodded. He looked closely at the redheaded girl, whose hair was tinged with black. Now he understood that she had not purposely dyed her hair so. The girl had immense power, and he wasn’t sure if allowing her to stay at the school was a good idea. However, the other, Tara, had a gentle sweet soul, and he liked her immediately. 

“I was thinking that Tara could work with Poppy as she is interested in the healing arts,” Severus said.

“Really?” Albus said, his eyes lighting up. “She would be very happy to train someone and is always bemoaning the fact that none of her relatives are interested in her line of work.”

“That would be quite wonderful, sir,” Tara said. “We do need to return to our world in a month for a wedding and to take our exams at our university.”

“How old are you if I may ask?” Albus inquired.

“I am twenty-two and Willow is twenty-one,” Tara answered.

“There other friend Xander believes that he should be here also with his girls after his wedding,” Severus said. “He has no magic, but I went patrolling with him. He is definitely well-versed in the dark arts and killing of dark creatures—they all are.”

“You are thinking that he and Willow could take over for Lucius in the fall?” Albus asked.

“I was,” Severus said. “Or I can, and you can hire another Potion Master.”

“Well, they are extremely hard to find—as you well know,” Albus said. It was an old argument. 

“Xander’s fiancée used to be a vengeance demon, and she was able to use Buffy’s wand,” Willow told him.

“How fascinating! How is she human?” Albus asked.

“Cordelia used to date Xander until they had a bad break-up,” Willow said. “It was about four years ago. She made a wish to Anya—not knowing she was a demon—that Buffy had never been sent to Sunnydale. From what she says, the place was a real hell hole. The master vampire Buffy had defeated when she was sixteen opened the hellmouth and vampires ran the city. Xander and I both were vampires—it was horrible. Cordelia figured out that breaking the necklace she wore, which was a source of Anya’s magic, would break the spell. It worked. Anya reverted to human, and she runs a magic store with Buffy’s watcher Giles. Well, he’s back in England now.” She paused for breath.

“Impressive,” Albus said.

“Now I see where Buffy gets her ceaseless prattling,” Severus said dryly.

Willow blushed. “Sorry,” she said.

“No need to apologize,” Albus said. “I think it is wonderful to meet new people and hear new stories. I would love to hear more about the hellmouth. Buffy’s tales have made the rounds at school, but her manner is so casual that we are not always sure she is serious.”

“Sir, may I ask about your bird?” Tara asked, interrupting him when he paused.

“Yes, that is my dear friend, Fawkes. He is a phoenix,” Albus said.

“Really?” Willow asked, looking at her lover in excitement. This place was turning out to be like a dream—a wonderful dream that she used to imagine when she was a child. A magic castle, ghosts, and now a phoenix.

“Yes,” Albus said. “Many witches and wizards in our world often have an animal companion, a familiar of some kind.”

“Cool,” Willow said.

“We cannot allow you to be around children, Miss Rosenberg,” Albus said. When Willow looked like he slapped her, he added, “Not in your present state.”

“Oh, you mean ‘cause of the dark magics,” Willow said, looking embarrassed.

Albus nodded. “We have to cleanse you of it. Severus will work on a potion to help you. Getting a wand will help you. You mustn’t do any wandless magic as it will always seek to pull power from dark magics. A wand will allow you to channel your power through a conduit, thus keeping it purer. Time here at Hogwarts should do the rest,” he explained.

“How long would I need to be here?” Willow asked.

“I cannot say,” Albus said.

“I appreciate you letting us stay,” Willow said.

“Yes, I am thankful, too,” Tara said.

“We will get a temporary quarter for today, and then I will find a more permanent place where you will be comfortable,” Albus said. “Do you want connecting quarters or separate?”

“We are a couple—I hope that’s not controversial in this world. Since you don’t use modern technology, I hope that doesn’t mean you are old-fashioned in your views on same-sex pairings,” Willow said, not willing to pretend they were just friends.

“She’s trying to say we would like to share a room if that’s okay,” Tara said.

“Unmarried people cannot share a room,” he said. “However, I can give you a room with a connecting door.”

“I am not going to lie about our relationship,” Willow said.

“No one is telling you to,” Albus said. “This is a school with children, and they do not need to know the sexual relations of any of the adults here.”

“That is understandable,” Tara said, giving her girlfriend a look of warning. She really wanted to stay there and didn’t want anything to mess this opportunity up.

“Severus, will you put them in the visitors’ quarters for tonight?” Albus asked.

He nodded and led them away.

A short time later, Minerva came into his office, looking rattled. “Albus, I had something happened that is impossible!” she exclaimed.

“What is it?” he asked. His second in command never let anything rattle her, but she looked very shaken.

“My family tapestry—something happened to it,” she said. “Something that is impossible!”

“What do you mean?” Albus asked.

“My brother Malcolm’s daughter—my beloved niece, Susan, was a powerful witch, who had one daughter—Tara. They all died when Death Eater’s set their house one fire years ago. Tara had just turned seven,” she shared.

“I remember,” he said. 

“How does she now show up alive on my tapestry? How could such a thing happen?” she wondered, sitting in the empty chair in front of his desk.

Albus’s mind raced as he considered the ramifications. “Remind me what your niece’s married name was?”

“She married an American she met on tour after she graduated from Hogwarts. He has some Scot-Irish ancestry. His name was Maclay,” she said. “Tara Maclay was the name of Susan’s daughter.”

“Well, I think I know how to solve the mystery,” Albus said. “The Tara Maclay that was your niece in this world is gone, but the Tara Maclay from the world Buffy Malfoy was in came to our world today. Severus just took her to a room with her girlfriend.”

“Tara is alive? She’s here?” Minerva asked, her lip trembled with emotion.

“Minerva, she is not really your Tara, but rather the doppelganger of your Tara,” he said.

“She shows up on my family tapestry—that mean she is my family,” Minerva said. “I have no living family, Albus. You know how lonely that is.”

Albus nodded. “I do,” he said.

“Tell me about her. Is she a witch? Why is she here?” Minerva asked.

“She is a witch, adept at wandless magic in the other world,” Albus said. “Her lover, Willow is extremely powerful—she may be equal to me in raw power. However, she has been using dark magic to keep the demon population in check on the hellmouth. Tara wants her to be free of its pull, so she brought her here.”

Minerva didn’t want to think. “Is she a dark witch? My niece?” she asked.

Albus shook his head. “No. She is very sweet and can read auras—she showed no hint of darkness,” he said. “I suspect if she was sorted that she would be a Hufflepuff.”

Minerva smiled. “I look forward to meeting her,” she said.

Albus suspected that Tara Maclay would be very happy to find a relative at Hogwarts.

***** _An Hour Later*****_

Severus stared down at Cordelia Chase. They were about to transport her, and her friends were saying goodbye. If Willow was to be believed, this woman was a seer. However, she didn’t get prophecies, but she saw the immediate danger of people. It was fascinating to Severus, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she would be like without the taint of her dark passenger.

“Are you sure they can help her?” Willow asked for the third time.

“They are her only hope,” Severus said. “Albus knows more magic than anyone in Great Britain—he will help them save her.”

“Don’t worry, dears,” Poppy said. “I will go with them and make sure she is settled in. The headmaster will be there tomorrow to oversee everything.”

They planned to levitate her outside of Hogwarts and then apparate her to the hospital as she could not safely go through the floo.

They walked with Cordelia and Poppy to the exit where Albus and Minerva were waiting. After Poppy led them out of Hogwarts, Albus introduced Minerva to the girls.

“It is wonderful to meet you,” Minerva said.

“Miss Maclay—” Albus began.

“Please, call me Tara,” Tara said.

“Tara,” Albus said, smiling warmly at her. “Minerva had something happen to her or rather became aware of something when you entered into our world.”

“My family tapestry had your name on it,” Minerva said. “My brother Malcolm had a daughter, who married an American named Maclay. He died in an accident, so she came back here when her daughter was two. Unfortunately, it was when Death Eaters and Voldemort’s reign of terror was at its peak. They set fire to his home, killing all three of them. My great-niece had just turned seven, and her name was Tara.”

Tara frowned. “I’m sorry—I-I don’t understand,” she said.

“She’s saying, sweetie, that you are the doppelganger of her lost great-niece,” Willow said. “You are blood relatives.”

Tara’s eyes lit up. “Really?” she said. “That’s wonderful!”

“I wasn’t sure you would think so since I know you’re not _my_ niece, but I have no blood family since my husband passed,” Minerva said. “We were never blessed with children.”

“My mother died of cancer five years ago, and my father and brother are horrible people,” she said. “I would be very happy to have you as my family.”

Minerva couldn’t restrain herself any longer and pulled Tara close for a hug.

Severus knew that Buffy would be pleased to know that her friends had a real tie to this world.

***** _Chapter End*****_

_Remember, this chapter all took place the day they first arrived. Dawn’s transformation happens the next day._

**Author's Note:**

> I have lost track of my Harry Potter betas, so if you are a HP guru and can help me with the things that bug you like do Severus actually call Dumbledore by his first name? Poppy? Little things like that, let me know.


End file.
